Minister for Public Works Department, Naeem Akhtar today said the government is making all efforts for bringing sustainable peace to Jammu and Kashmir. He expressed deep grief over the killing of civilians at Shopian in Army firing.Replying to the discussion on the Shopian firing and killing in the Upper House the Minister said that the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has taken up the matter of civilian killings with the Union Defense Minister and a probe has also been ordered into the tragic incident.The Minister said an atmosphere is being created by vested interests to sabotage the peace efforts and the violent militancy related incidents are also hampering the peace efforts.“Cutting across all the political barriers we need to build a consensus and to find a durable solution to this problem and to end the vicious cycle of violence that is destroying our lives, our economy, our education and our societal values,” he added.
“Dialogue is the only solution to and ultimate way for the resolution of the state’s problems,” he said.He accused some TV Channels of having unleashed a vicious campaign against Kashmir and Kashmiris which he said is only adding fuel to the fire..Earlier, several members participated in the discussion on the recent firing and killings in Shopian.The discussion was initiated by Qaiser Jamsheed Lone by condemning the incident and demanding expeditious probe.Surinder Kumar Ambardar expressed grief over the civilian killings and said that such incidents are heart-wrenching and should be stopped. He advocated initiation of a dialogue process to put an end on this vicious cycle of violence.Yasir Reshi while condemning the incident said that concrete measures should be taken to resolve the matter once for all. He also said we need to follow the footprints of Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for bringing peace to the State. He also applauded the era of Vajpayee’s reign in which several steps were taken for strengthening the bonds between the two nations which was aimed at resolving the issue and bringing relief to the people of the state.
Ghulam Nabi Monga condemned the incident and said that such heart wrenching incidents should not recur and bloodshed should be stopped. He advocated that we need to come together to put an end to the grave issue. He welcomed the magisterial probe and lodging of FIR in this regard.Ramesh Arora said that we need to consolidate the state of J&K through collective working by political leaders for peace process.Showkat Ahmad Ganie expressed solidarity with bereaved families and called such incidents as grim. He said all political leaders should come up on a common platform to resolve the issues permanently. He also said that dialogue process should be started with all stakeholders of the state.Firdous Ahmad Tak called it a tragic incident and said that such incidents should not recur in future. “We do not need to politicize the matter but instead to build a consensus beyond party ideology and find a permanent solution to this issue,” he added. He also welcomed magisterial probe and lodge of FIR in this incident.